Linkin Park’s New Music Video Integrates Fans’ Facebook Photos
Linkin Park‘s new music video for “Lost in the Echo” is a personal one, and not just for the band: it uses Facebook Connect to incorporate fans’ personal photos in the storyline. The music video was directed by Jason Zada and Jason Nickel, the creators of Take This Lollipop, the mysterious viral video that sent chills across the web recently by personalizing Facebook stalking.
“‘Lost in the Echo’ is the opposite of creepy,” Zada insists to Rolling Stone. “It’s a new form of personalization in a music video.” He cites that such fan interactivity, the kind that social media like YouTube and Facebook bring to music videos, marks a renaissance in the medium. “These interactive videos have really resonated with audiences. People love seeing themselves as part of the entertainment.”
In the new Linkin Park clip, fans can watch their most popular Facebook photos being carried around in a briefcase by strangers in a post-apocalyptic scenario. Earlier this week, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda went on What‘s Trending to talk about the band’s decision to do the interactive video.
“We’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of videos and at a certain point, they all start to feel similar,” Shinoda said. “So for the song ‘Lost in the Echo,’ we decided to try to do something extra personal.”
Beyond the video, fans can continue to be a part of the “Echo” experience. On Thursday, Indaba Music launched a Linkin Park-approved contest to remix the song, similar to the Bon Iver remix contest the company did in August. Previously, “Echo” co-creator Nickel was responsible for the Cold War Kids’ “I’ve Seen Enough” flash site, which lets viewers choose which instruments the band members play in the music video.